Apparatus for spinning metal tubing to prevent oxidization of parts subjected to heat of friction



July 24 1962 c. R. s RAUBING 3,045,741

APPARATUS FOR SPINNING META TUBING TO PREVENT OXIDIZATION OF PARTS SUBJECTED TO HEAT OF FRICTION Filed Dec. 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Charles Rfitraubz g ATTORNE July 24, 1962 c. R. STRAUBING 3,045,741

APPARATUS FOR SPINNING METAL TUBING TO PREVENT OXIDIZATION OF PARTS SUBJECTED T0 HEAT OF FRICTION 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 24, 1959 INVENTOR C72 arles RSiraubl gg ATTORNEY atent @ffice Iifidfiflil Patented July 24, 1952 APPARATUS FOR SPINNING METAL TUBING TO PREVENT OXIDIZATION F PARTS SUB- JECTEI) T0 I-EAT 0F FRICTION Charles R. Straubing, Sodus Point, N.Y., assignor to Kenmore Machine Products, Inc, Lyons, N.Y Filed Dec. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 861,798 1 Claim. ((11. 153-81) The present invention relates to an apparatus for spinning metal tubing to prevent oxidization of parts subjected to heat of friction and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally there is provided a method of spinning metal tubing in such manner that free oxygen in the air is prevented from coming into contact with those parts of such tubing :as are being subjected to great frictional heat. The method thus prevents oxidization of such parts. This is accomplished by providing a constantly replenished atmosphere of an inert gas such as dry nitrogen in the space adjacent to the par-ts so being subjected to friction. Nitrogen or other inert gas will not combine with the tubing and is fed in such manner as to exclude the presence of any oxygen whatever. Three forms of novel apparatus have been provided for providing the nitrogen atmosphere.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a novel method of excluding oxygen from the space in which parts of tubing are being subjected to frictional heat to thereby prevent oxidization of such parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel apparatus for carrying out the novel method above referred to.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for supplying a constantly renewed atmosphere of an inert gas to the space adjacent parts being subjected to frictional heat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and efiicient in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, illustrating one form of apparatus provided by the present invention,

FIGURE '2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of FIGURE 1 taken substantially along line 33 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of another form the invention may assume,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly broken away, of still another form the invention may take, and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, partly in elevation, taken along line 77 of FIGURE 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein, in FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 7, one form of apparatus according to the present invention in which a spinning machine is generally indicated at 19* and is provided with a motor 1 1 having a shaft 12 to the inner end of which is afiixed a movable jaw '13 inwhich is, in turn, mounted a shaping die or spinner 14.

The motor 11 is mounted upon one end portion of a platform while upon the other end portion thereof is afiixed a vertical standard 16. The standard 16 carries at its upper end portion a stationary jaw 17.

Either the motor 11 or the standard 16, and thereby the shaping die 14 or the stationary jaw 17, respectively, are movably mounted on the platform 15 for relative movement, by conventional or known guides and force applying mechanisms (not shown), such as those disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,419,864 granted to Axel Westin on April 29, 1947.

The shaft 12 is centrally provided with a longitudinally extending passageway '18 which communicates at its inner end with a like passageway 19 formed in an inner portion 23 of the spinner 14.

Adjacent the machine 10 there is provided a tank 21 containing an inert gas such as nitrogen under pressure. A tube 22 extends from the tank 21 to the outer end of the shaft 12 and communicates with the passageway 18 therein, any form of leakproof joint (not shown) being provided for connecting the tube 22 and the shaft 12, it being understood that the tube 22 remains stationary while the shaft 12 is adapted to revolve at a high rate of speed. A control valve 23 is provided in the tube 22.

In carrying out this form of the invention, reference may be had to my copending application entitled Tubular Structure and Method of Making the Same filed on November 16, 1959. It will be seen that a pair of tubes 24 and 25 may be mounted between the stationary jaw 17 and movable jaw 13 in such manner that the adjacent end portions in the movable jaw are forced into the die members 14 and 20 and subjected to intense frictional heat whereby the end portions of the tubes 24 and 25 within the die members 14 and 20 will be permanently joined. Should such action take place in normal atmosphere containing free oxygen, the parts of such tubes so subjected to frictional action would, due to the high temperatures imparted thereto by such friction, tend to combine with the free oxygen in the air andthus become oxidized and hence brittle, weakened and of no value. It will be seen that by opening the valve 23 the inert gas in the container 21 is allowed to pass through the tube 22, thence through the passageway 18 in the shaft 12 and through the passageway 19 in the die member 2i) to thus enter the interior of the tube 24. This action will force any air from the interior of the tube 24 through an outlet valve 26 of any suitable character provided in the stationary jaw 17. Thus air is excluded from the parts of the tubes 24 and 25 which are being subjected to the heat of friction as aforesaid thus preventing oxidization of such parts.

Referring now to that form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, it will be seen that there is provided a spinning machine 3% having a motor 31, a drive shaft 32, a movable jaw or spinner 33, a shaping die 34, a base 35, an upright standard 36 and a stationary jaw 37, all of which parts are substantially identical with those described with reference to the first form of the invention above described.

In this form of the invention, a hood 38 entirely encompasses the machine 30. A container 41 for inert gas such as nitrogen is mounted outside the hood 38. A fitting 42 is provided in one Wall of the hood 38 and a tube 43 interconnects the tank 41 with the interior of the hood 33 by means of the fitting 42. A control valve 44 is provided in the tube 43 and an escape valve 45 is mounted in the hood 33 at a point remote from the fitting 42.

In carrying out this form of the invention, it will be seen that since the entire spinning machine is enveloped in an atmosphere of inert gas, no oxygen may at any time come into contact with the work, particularly that portion of the work being subjected to the heat of friction and it thus becomes impossible for oxidization to take place in such work pieces.

Referring now to the final form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 6, it will be seen that there is again shown a spinning machine generally indicated at 50 having a motor 51, a drive shaft 52, a movable jaw or spinner 53, a shaping die 54, a base 55, an upright standard 56, and a stationary jaw 57, all of which parts are again substantially identical with those above described with reference to the foregoing forms of the invention.

In FIGURE 4 only one tube 25 is shown. However, it will be understood that this is merely for the purpose of illustration and that in actual practice, the dies 34 and 54 will be utilized to join adjacent end portions of an outer tube 25 with an inner tube 24 as referred to above in describing the first form of the invention.

Again, referring to FIGURE 6, it will be seen that an opening 58 is rovided in the wall of the tube 25. Such opening is conventional and later utilized for the positioning therein of a suitable fitting.

A container 59 of inert gas is mounted at some suitable position adjacent to or upon the base 55 and is provided with a flexible tube 69 having a control valve 61 adjacent its free end.

In utilizing this last form of the invention, it will be apparent that the operator of the machine 50, after placing the work pieces in the machine and starting the motor 51 to revolve the spinner 53, may then open the valve 61 and place the free end of the tube 60 over the opening 58 to introduce into the space between the tubes 24 and 25 the inert gas to thus prevent oxygen in the air from contacting the engaging parts of the work pieces, thus preventing oxidization thereof. The tube 60 may, of course, be clamped in position over the opening 58 by any suitable means, if so desired.

While but certain forms of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a spinning machine for joining coaxially disposed metal tubes and having a base, a motor on said base, a standard on said base in spaced relatio to the motor, a fixed work-holding jaw carried by said standard, a shaft for said motor, a rotatable jaw mounted on said shaft at that end of said shaft facing the fixed jaw, a die carried by said rotatable jaw, said rotatable die being adapted to embrace the ends of said tubes for joining them together by spinning and heat developed thereby, said fixed jaw being adapted to hold the other ends of said tubes stationary while said tubes are being joined at their die-embraced ends, and means for supplanting air in the space between said metal tubes by an inert gas, said means comprising a tank of inert gas under pressure mounted on said base adjacent said machine, and a flexible itubing extending from said tank whereby the free end of said tubing may be placed over an opening formed in the outermost of the metal tubes to introduce such inert gas into the space between the tubes while expelling air therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Erdelyi Sept. 1, 1959 

